Aotearoa has been in mourning over this past week with the passing of the Maori King, Te Arikinui Tuheitia Paki. This death has landed heavily on the hearts of Maori and all New Zealanders who credit the King for reigniting hope in tumultuous times and championing Indigenous rights. It was announced today that his youngest daughter, Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, will take over as Maori Queen. At 27, she becomes the eighth Maori monarch and the second woman to hold the position.
This is related to this week's topic of monarchies and the different ways the title is passed. While the Kingitanga throne may appear hereditary at first glance, some unique aspects of the Kingitanga movement separate it from strictly hereditary monarchies such as those seen in Europe or the Middle East.
Tekau maa-rua is the Kingitanga council, comprising 12 representatives from iwi across the motu. They play a crucial role in appointing the new monarch alongside other rangatira. In selecting the successor, the council considers leadership qualities, connection to the people, and cultural knowledge and is not restricted to selecting people within the same family.
This consultation process resembles hereditary monarchies, where key stakeholders such as aristocrats or religious leaders have some influence. On face value, the Maori monarch may appear hereditary, as all current kings and queens, starting with Potatau Te Wherowhero (the first monarch) and ending with Tuheitia, are direct descendants of their predecessors. However, it does not fall within the strict requirements of hereditary monarchies due to the consultation process and the possibility for the throne to be handed to someone from another whanau or iwi, as the Maori monarch does not follow the automatic inheritance rules where the firstborn child ascends to the throne. King Tuhetia had two sons before his daughter who were not favoured to succeed their father for different reasons.
Therefore, while the Maori monarch does not fall within the definitions of a hereditary monarchy on a deeper evaluation, the Kingitanga shares the same strong emphasis on familial lineage and the continuity of tradition, a throughline of all types of monarchies.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527108/the-new-maori-queen-kuini-nga-wai-hono-i-te-po-27-to-succeed-her-father-kiingi-tuheitia-as-maori-monarch https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/30/maori-king-tuheitia-paki-dies-aged-69-death-new-zealand
I appreciate you sharing this post. While I had heard a little about Kuini Nga wai hono i te po's succession as queen, I was not aware of the Māori monarchy mechanisms - A fascinating parallel to the Al Saud Kingdom, whose absolute hereditary monarchy system we studied this week.
ReplyDeleteWith an emphasis on continuity and familial leadership Kingitanga system echoes the same characterizes of traditional monarchies. The implementation of consultative processes and hereditary elements does provide it with a more distinctive monarchy identity. Taking into consideration that the kings and queens have been "direct descendants of their predecessors" as quoted by you - their consultation process is not contingent with the traditional primogeniture method. Instead it adopts a larger consulate population and inclusion of candidates from outside the immediate family.
A stark difference from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia monarch which following King Ibn Saud's death each King were a son of his and immediate successors.
An additional point of difference is that in the Māori monarchy, the monarch's role is mainly ceremonial and holds no judicial or legal authority in New Zealand. Contrastingly, Saudi king embodies the role of prime minister, chief of state, the head of government, and commander-in-chief of the military of Saudi Arabia. Their positions allow to wield different realms of influence.
Regardless, both these monarchy model preserves the respective Saudi and Māori populations strong connections to their customs and allow their values to be reflected by their leadership.
References:
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. (2024). Umn.edu. http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/research/saudiarabia/introduction.html
Saudi e-Government National Portal . 2012.
"Governance and Politics of Saudi Arabia". Fanack.com.
New Zealand’s Maori anoint new queen as they lay King
Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII to rest. (2024, September 5). Sky News; Sky. https://news.sky.com/story/new-zealands-maori-anoint-new-queen-as-they-lay-king-tuheitia-pootatau-te-wherowhero-vii-to-rest-13209896#:~:text=The%20monarch
Good points Ashleigh - though the Saudi monarchy didn't use primogeniture. Though sons have inherited, so have brothers, and some have been bypassed (due to family deliberations).
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